Schedule

Following is our typical schedule of services:

Weekly

Drawing of a Censer
  • Tues-Fri (usually—please call to verify) 6:00pm—Vespers.
  • Outside of special festal or fasting seasons we usually serve The Small Supplicatory Canon to the Most Holy Mother of God (Paraklesis to the Theotokos) on Friday evenings at 6:00pm.
  • Saturday: 6:00pm—Great Vespers (Confessions are heard following Great Vespers)
  • Sunday: 7:00am – Orthros with Hours / 9:30am Divine Liturgy
  • Lesser Blessing of the Waters: 1st of each month, according to the Church (Julian) Calendar. It is a beautiful custom from Orthodox Tradition to bless with new Holy Water each month, as is done in many Orthodox churches around the world.
  • Each month there are also at least two additional services of Orthros/Divine Liturgy. Check the monthly schedule.
  • GREAT FEASTS—As announced

Services are almost entirely in English.

Monthly

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Father Luke’s Comments on the Schedules

August, 2008

As our small community is under the protection of the Most-holy Theotokos and celebrates our patronal feast on her Holy Dormition, this is a big month for us. Please take note of the following dates (indicated as Church Calendar/Civil Calendar dates) in the coming weeks:

  • August 1/14—The first day of the Dormition Fast is the feast of the Procession of the Cross. Following Small Paraklesis we will have a Water Blessing. Note: During the Byzantine Empire, the relic of the True Cross was processed this day from the Imperial Treasury to the Cathedral Church of the Holy Wisdom (Agia Sophia) where it was kept on the holy altar table until being returned to the treasury on the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. Each afternoon during these fifteen day the relic was solemnly processed through the streets of Constantinople as a blessing to the city and all its inhabitants.
  • The Dormition Fast, begins August 1/14 and lasts through the eve of the Dormition on August 14/27. The fasting discipline during this fourteen day period is to abstain from meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, milk or other dairy products, fish, wine and oil, except on Saturdays and Sundays when there is katalysis for wine and oil, and on the Great Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6/19) when there is katalysis for fish, wine and oil.
  • Commencing August 1/14—The cycle of the Service of Supplication known as the Paraklesis of the Most-holy Theotokos. The Typikon prescribes that during the Dormition Fast the Small and Great Paraklesis Canons be chanted on alternate days, with the Small Canon always being the one that starts the cycle on August 1/14.
  • August 6/19—The Great Feast of The Transfiguration of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We will celebrate the festal Vigil (Great Vespers, Litia & Artoklasia, and Orthros) Monday, August 5/18 for this Great Feast. Divine Liturgy of the Transfiguration begins at 9:30am the next morning.
  • August 15/28—The Great Feast of the Dormition of our Most-holy Theotokos. Our parish’s patronal feast day!

November, 2007

  • November 8th – St. Demetrios the Greatmartyr. Great Vespers with Compline and an Akathist to St. Demetrios Wednesday the 7th with Divine Liturgy Thursday morning.
  • November 21st – Synaxis of the Archangels. Great Vespers with Compline and an Akathist to St. Michael the Archangel on Tuesday the 20th followed by Divine Liturgy Wednesday morning.
  • November 24th – St. Menas the Greatmartyr. Great Vespers with Paraklesis to the Theotokos Friday the 23rd followed by Divine Liturgy Saturday morning. Note: St. Menas is the patron saint of finding lost or stolen objects. Have you lost something recently and can’t find it? Looking for a new car or house? St. Menas will help you find them. Come, honor him this day!
  • November 28th – St. Herman of Alaska. Great Vespers with Akathist to St. Herman Tuesday the 27th followed by Divine Liturgy Wednesday morning. Note: St. Herman is also commemorated December 25th and August 9th but November commemoration is the true date of his repose. The service we will chant to him is the one that was written by the Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) of Platina, CA.
  • November 13th – Water Blessing. Following Vespers next Tuesday evening, we will have a Lesser Blessing of the Waters.
  • The Nativity Fast begins on Wednesday, November 28th and continues through January 7th. The Fast is one of traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine and oil) but with katalysis for wine and oil on Tuesday and Thursday, and for fish, wine and oil on Saturday and Sunday.

October, 2007

  • October 13th – In keeping with our parish’s tradition, on the first of the month (following the Orthodox Calendar) we will do a Lesser Blessing of the Waters. Please come for this service of sanctification and bring a small bottle to bring the holy water home in.
  • October 27th – His Grace, Bishop Maxim, will be with us for Hierarchical Divine Liturgy! This is the first for us. Never before has our parish had a hierarch celebrate Liturgy with us in The Dalles. Please be sure to be here for this special event!
  • Every Friday – We are back to our weekly practice of chanting the service of the Paraklesis to the Most Holy Theotokos each Friday.

Finally, just a quick reminder to all of you related to the upcoming visit of our Bishop:

When greeting the Bishop we should address him as “Your Grace” or, “Vladiko” (Serbian). When we approach him (or any priest, for that matter) we make a bow by reaching down and touching the floor with our right hand, place our right hand over the left (palms upward), and say: “Master Bless.” He will then answer, “May the Lord bless you,” bless you with the Sign of the Cross, and place his right hand in your hands. We then kiss his hand.

Also, I thought I’d remind you, as it seems many people do not keep this practice: Whenever you speak to Orthodox clergy on the telephone, you should always end your conversation by asking for a blessing. One should not, as a layman, say: “God bless you” to clergy.